S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Uruguay is going to take a delegation of ten businessmen to the business meeting to take place next Sunday (29th) and Monday (30th), in Doha, Qatar, before the Summit of South American-Arab Countries (Aspa). \u201cWe are going to go with the intention of closing lots of deals,\u201d says the secretary general at the Uruguay-Qatar Bi-National Chamber of Commerce, Sebasti\u00e1n Ar\u00e1gor. In addition to the businessmen, also in attendance at the forum will be the vice president of the organisation, Pedro Nicolas Barid\u00f3n, its chairman, Julio Lacarte Muro, and Ar\u00e1gor.<\/p>\n
According to the secretary general, the businessmen are from services sectors, particularly foreign trade, engineering, agribusiness, juridical studies, forestry products, energy and tourism. The South American country is a large exporter of services and has 30% of its foreign sales linked to the sector. The Uruguayans export technology, logistics, tourism, and self-employed workers’ services, among others. They sell agribusiness products such as wool, leathers, dairy products, meats and grain to foreign countries.<\/p>\n
The Arabs, however, are not yet large clients of Uruguay. In 2008, for example, the South American country posted revenues of US$ 131 million from exports to the Arab market. The main products shipped were meats, livestock (cattle), milk and dairy products, in addition to grain. Even though the figure is not very significant, there was an increase of 17% in sales over the previous year. The Arab country that bought the most Uruguayan products was Egypt, followed by Jordan, Algeria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Sales to the Arab world pale in comparison with overall Uruguayan exports, which last year totalled to approximately US$ 6 billion. It was a record-high figure for the country, but the forecast for this year, according to Ar\u00e1gor, is of a decrease as a result of the international economic crisis. \u201cThis is why we want to enter new markets, following the example of Brazil, which already has a strong presence in the Arab countries,\u201d claims the secretary general. He believes that his country has potential for exporting engineering, agribusiness and forestry services to the region.<\/p>\n
Ar\u00e1gor asserts that the relations of Uruguay with the Arabs have grown since the president of the country, Tabar\u00e9 V\u00e1zquez, made a trip, accompanied by a business delegation, to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, in 2007. Afterwards, three months ago, Uruguay opened an embassy in Doha. Representatives of the Qatari government also visited Uruguay, and the Uruguay-Qatar Bi-National Chamber of Commerce was established. Many initiatives, among them the creation of the Chamber, were encouraged by the Uruguay National Chamber of Commerce and Services.<\/p>\n
The Uruguayan government will be represented at Aspa by its vice president, Nin Novoa, and the undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Pedro Vaz Ramela. The Uruguayan ambassador to Doha, Juan Pacheco, will also attend the summit. The country has 3.4 million inhabitants and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 31.3 billion. A major share of the GDP, of around 60%, is linked to the services sector. Tourism is one of the services sector’s boosters and has great importance to the local economy.<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum <\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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